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First off, I won't include any spoilers seeing how the movie JUST came out. So, just saw it earlier this afternoon. It is a relatively long movie all things considered (just about 120m); and I do sound surprised as I figured it would be too much sensory overload (or not enough to fill that time). Let me just say that the film doesn't try to do anything more then what you see in the trailers. It is some serious eye candy (settings, guns, and chicks), and I thought it melded together relatively well. The plot and the plot devices also weren't terrible, neither was the acting (though its arguable how much acting was done I guess-- as the story did follow one tone throughout). To me, I was surprised that I wasn't angry at the story after, which usually ruins a movie for me. It was no Schindler's List, but its enough to not make you think about it (think Ninja Assassin, which had fun scenes, but terrible everything else-- which made it unbearable really). But really, chicks and guns, and trust me, there is plenty. I would say arguably more then the Expendables, and what was hotter was that it really seemed like the cast took the time to learn how to "properly" wield everything (to include some melee weapons... AWESOME tomahawk scene for my fellow 'tomahawkers'). And I put that in quotations because maybe it wasn't perfect, but at least it was stylized without being cheesy (think Bale in Equilibrium). My favorite? Has to be Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), and its probably because of her tomahawk scene. How about you guys?

Haha, ah, it was only a matter of time until Rebecca Black made it on to the forum. With that said, at least I'll never forget that Thursday comes before Friday, and then Saturday-- unwittingly followed by Sunday. So, thank you, Ms. Black.

OMG (to show my genuine excitement), I absolutely love this thing-- albeit I haven't held one in my hands. I love the ergos and the concept. Pete and I had discussed it a few months back actually, and my spirits were dampened when I found out that it wouldn't be available for civilian or import any time in the foreseeable future. But when it does become available? Hopefully price point will be better then the ACR and SCAR (though I do see the price of the ACR dropping quicker then the SCAR). I like the design of the ACR, but I wouldn't waste a dime on the company that makes the civ version right now...

Nice, reminds me a lot of Survival Straps.

Believe it or not, 2004. It was right when OIF really started kicking off, and there simply wasn't enough gear for certain units. Most of my unit's budget went towards mission essential equipment (what little there was), and for the general issue stuff we were put in the 'back of the line' as we were a 'tasker' unit. Guns as a whole were still new to me then, but I remember taking a look at it when I drew it for quals, and knew immediately it was ancient. Had the odd discoloration, and I remember it even smelled funny. Within a few months though it was replaced with brand new M16s and M4s (my whole unit actually), and our beater M16s were handed off to AFA

Happy Birthday!

The failures I've personally dealt with regarding the M4 and M16 platforms were due to the fact that the parts in question were probably older then me (or sure seemed like it). For me personally it was a charging handle once, and an extractor on another occasion. Otherwise, I had no other problems that couldn't be traced to bad ammunition and/or magazines (often the latter), I'll agree though that the military, at least at the micro level, do not get the proper equipment all the time. Such as the case with my first rifle which was an M16 (original M16 w/ no forward assit, etc) that was definitely older than me (though it was quickly replaced with an A2). The same could be said about the magazines (which I never saw a fresh magazine in my years when I was in) and CLP (which wasn't bad, but there is obviously better on the public market). Still, I'll stand by the system as its proven itself to me personally. With the proper care and knowledge, its a system that can do most jobs asked of it.

The friction lock on the CTR is the latch that clamps after the stock has been adjusted to whatever length. Here's a relatively short video with a decent demo of how it works (not my video): I haven't messed with a CTR stock, but it seems almost pointless. Seeing how our stocks have to be pinned anyway, if the stock wobbles, that is something that can/should be remedied with or without the friction lock (meaning I don't think it would make much of a difference). Only reason why I would get the CTR over the MOE stock is because it has the QD swivel attachment, otherwise there is no discernible difference as we have to neuter them.

Definitely, saznercj, though improbable. I have delved a bit into genetics and DNA in my studies, though by no means am I even remotely an expert (or anywhere close). But from my knowledge, what makes it difficult is that organisms have to change their base composition to survive, let alone thrive, when making that evolutionary jump from simpler creatures to humans. Of course though, the ones that can are often really, really nasty ones. It seems though that the ones that can make that jump are often either parasites (like botflies, hookworms), certain types of influenza, or hemorrhagic-types. All are pretty nasty stuff, though relatively short lived, or can be contained (until the "super bug" occurs of course... )

True AP rounds are almost impossible to acquire through legal means (like the ones Dan pointed out). But as noted, there are some ranges that do not like certain rounds because they have a steel core (which could start fires, damage back stops, damage steel plates, etc).

For the record, ARs are 'never' quite done , you'll find out. ETA: Forgot to say that it looks good, so far!

This reminds me of the snail zombies: (Has an ad, sorry) Nature is fascinating-- truly. To know that human existence is just a drop in the bucket in the grander picture really helps put things in perspective.

For the younger generation, the way society portrays how to be successful and how to get there is quite confusing. Of course I speak from the perspective of this younger generation. Society refers to the fact that we must be humble and it will take years if not a life time to achieve success-- and yet also demands that we take the initiative. While I do agree 100% that people should not expect to achieve the type of success they wish for immediately and that it will take time regardless, at what point do we turn our own initiative into more then being someone's lapdog? I think some of the confusion that is created is also from the perspective that our own confidence is misinterpreted. This is not an excuse by any means, as 'perception is reality,' and if we're acting like a smartass, we probably are being one. However, I feel that sometimes youthful confidence is seen as something else (a negative) because of the perceptions created because a person is seen as a youth and not given quite the same respect (ageism works both ways). With that said, I absolutely agree that school is a crock of sh-t, and ultimately what is gained is the perception of knowing something (as noted, a diploma is otherwise a piece of paper). There are cases in which post-graduate degrees mean quite a bit more (like the field I'm in), but I can attest to the fact that world experience goes quite a way all things considered (both personally and professionally). My point being, I guess, is that the cracks on this younger generation are no different then what the previous generations have said about the youth in their days. There are different ways of looking at the world, and this has, in some ways, caused different issues-- but that's a given with the progression of human society. To simply think that the world would function as it did 20-30 years ago is... a bit ridiculous, just as it was 20-30 years ago when the older folk looked upon their youth. As for me? I'm glad I have chosen a path that examines this madness compared to being it

With the oversaturation of first person shooters in the gaming market, Homefront doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Essentially it feels like Modern Warfare (the first one to note) re-skinned, with a shorter campaign, and less compelling multiplayer. But more specifically, I did like the environments in which Homefront took place, but visually it was not too appealing. Take for example, at PAX, there was the playable demo area-- and no more then 200 feet away was the booth (different links there). If Homefront came out at the same time as Modern Warfare, I would say that it would be ground breaking/genre defining, but its a handful of years late to the party.And even for those who aren't picky about the graphics, the campaign is waaay to linear, doesn't make much sense, and is far too short. If THQ was asking for $40, I would say sure, ok, that's fine. But, for you console gamers, $60 is way to steep (and even $50 for us PC gamers). What did I like? I liked the environment as noted. I liked the premise, though the story was kind of lost in the micro-view, and while there were tense moments that reminded you why you were doing what you were doing, I felt myself trying to keep up with how what I was doing affected the bigger picture. If the campaign was maybe 2-3+ more hours, or if it took a radically different approach and was more like Fallout 3, it would be better (and in the case of the latter, possibly amazing). I also did like the frantic pace (when it did occur), but I felt like this wasn't too often as I still felt overpowered considering I, my character, was a part of a resistance movement against an embedded, large, army.

John Milius in specific worked on Homefront. I had the chance to play Homefront in advance at PAX East, and was not impressed at all. Stupidly I picked it up anyway for PC, and I'm doubly not impressed, and instead am thinking of ways to creatively use those $50 I had spent on it (like saving it for when I go to a range in PA and attach some tannerite to it or something along those lines). Still, I really, really, really liked the idea and premise behind Homefront... just a terrible game that I do not recommend anybody to waste their money on (if you get it for free or try it for free, go for it, and join me in my laughter). Funny enough, THQ (the distributor) had their stocks fall tremendously at the same time of the release of Homefront... correlation? Maybe As for our military and moving forward... a lot has changed, and its not so much the Army of old. Old Donny's remarks of how we go to war with the military we have and not the one we want went a really, really long way-- and pretty much sums up the changes the military has seen (even when I was still in a few years back now). There were the reductions/consolidations in types of jobs and facilities that are still ongoing-- but from that, new command and jobs have emerged, that deal specifically with the future issues. The "Cyber" command and asymmetrical warfare groups are examples of this, as well as the changes in how troops are trained at the ground level, and through their careers (like how Basic has changed, and even the PT tests now-- at least for the Army). Is it still dependent on technology? Yea, of course. I would go as far as to say that military tech though is a bit more 'protected' then the civilian stuff-- even if some military tech is piggy-backing on civilian/private sector tech. That doesn't mean much if the critical infrastructure of the civilian population were crippled though, as there would be mass hysteria and really bad sh-t going on regardless (and as we've seen for the past decade, military forces aren't meant to be in policing roles).

This is oldish news, though major outlets are starting to pick up on it. In a PC move, MGM has digitally changed out what was suppose to be the Chinese antagonists with North Koreans. Is it a PC move? Ha, maybe, I don't know-- seems like it though... if anything it would probably annoy less people if it were the evil Koreans taking on the role of slaughtering Americans then if it were our East Asian trading buddies. I hope that somehow someone gets their hand on a pre-fixed version as it would be interesting to see at least the different concept arts and directions that will be changed (and what doesn't change considering Hollywood's affinity to broadstroke certain cultures).

I like it, a lot. Biggest thing that scares me is not the price of the rifle (as that would simply be an investment and justified), but the price per round to feed it! Same thing that keeps me away from beauties like the MWS I have had the chance to shoot the SOCOM before (both stock and kitted like yours), and I love it.

This has been discussed: http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/20448-slidefire-stock-selectable-bump-firing/ Merging the two threads.

Very interesting points that I agree with for the most part [or mostly all]. I do think its naive to consider our founding fathers to be some heroes high up on a pedestal that are free of any type of sin (whether inflicted upon others, or taken from the flesh of others). I think what does make our founding fathers a "cut above the rest" was their ability to birth a nation that had virtually no real "past" (considering the Natives were driven off or killed, and have not really been acknowledged ever as they are still considered second or third rate citizens in their own lands). Most other nations were born of a past (even if not acknowledged at first), most of Europe with their monarchies, East Asia with their dynasties, etc. So, the fact that a group of people were able to come together and, for the most part, draw up a definitive document that protected the individual with really no "past" to base their new direction upon is quite remarkable and unique. Btw, I'm going to move this to Bucket 3 as the premise and direction taken is not really appropriate for the 'General Firearms' subforum. ETA: I had typed a response out to the latter part of your post, regarding the questions of colonialism, though I opted to not include it as it turned into a wall of text [spam] I want to say be careful because you might be opening pandora's box; and yet I like the way you think/convey what you're trying to say in relations to the OP. I think it is paramount to understand what it is that we base our values and morals upon, or what value do they really have? The roots of racism and middle class go far into history, and are obviously still debated to this day (or at least the former). I do think that in the early/mid-20th century is when we saw a real mating of the two that still reverberate to this day (think eugenics, and its overlapping effect from the 20-50's, and today still). As for how the Natives were pushed out with no regard, I think its still amazing that Thanksgiving is still celebrated with such vigor all things considered , but I'll leave it at that.

I found it amusing when I was watching coverage the other day, and the Western-based reporters were amazed that the Japanese had not resorted to looting and rioting. Even after the Japanese-based reporter explained that it wasn't in their culture to commit such disturbances, the Western-based reporters were still like Personally, having an East Asian background, I don't find it amazing by any means (and agree with the Japanese-based reporter that I'd be amazed if the Japanese DID start getting rowdy). I obviously can't speak for the other Asian groups, but its essentially coded in the referred cultures that they would not resort to madness of sorts (and if they did, it would show how bad things really were); with the Japanese "patience" being legendary. I would say there is something to learn from this response thus far-- but I don't know if its quite applicable. The way the East sees the world and approaches it obviously differs from the West; and to say that one culture could come to understand the essential "why" and "how" one culture reacts and apply it is not really too feasible, IMO. This could be a good and bad thing of course (the way the world is seen), and, seemingly, every response to tragedies is unique.

Saw it earlier this afternoon, and was pretty blown away. Not widely known names behind the film, and yet it really, really did well at what it was trying to do. Some parts were really hard to swallow for me personally (as they struck a chord), with other parts making me chuckle (like the overt Jar-headiness ); but it really was worth the time and money to watch it in the theaters. Good stuff.

I read through most of the responses, so I apologize if its already been said... but the big guy, who did the pwning of the bully, was actually suspended (with the bully not facing any type of consequences-- yet). From what I know about this, it happened in Australia, and the clip was indeed filmed by the bully's friend (there are follow up pictures of the bully on crutches that he took himself). Also from what I've read from other sources is that the parents of the victim will be suing the bully and his family. All things considered, the bully got what he deserved. I do tend to agree with the zero tolerance policy regarding violence in schools, and that even though the actions were in self defense, there should still be consequences. Albeit, if I am the parents of the boy who was bullied, I wouldn't take any further action with him.

That is how "infidel" is written in traditional Arabic. I'll be looking forward to seeing the complete rifle. Thumbs up so far as it looks pretty good.

IMO, anybody who would actually think clearing their domicile would be a good idea needs to have a dose of reality. Engaging-a-threat 101, from what I remember, is to always have the upper advantage (there's no such thing as "cheating" when it comes to protecting lives). No matter how well we think we know the layouts of our domiciles, being in a static pos with a good view and decent cover is more of a sure bet. And as Tactical Monkey, I believe, pointed out, material goods are replaceable, but our lives and our loved ones are not... so, no sense in risking that over the proverbial 'toaster'. While the topic of discussion is what we think is best IF an incident occurred, maybe another thing to consider is how to avoid being a target. Albeit there are property crimes that occur simply because opportunity at that moment presents itself. But on the other hand, not all crime is random, nor is all the blame of why the crime occurs placed on the BG (though of course it ultimately should be as it is their conscious decision to do so). The above meaning that instead of placing the huge box for the 52'' LED TV we just bought on the end of the drive way, or leaving the garage door open for everybody to see (among other examples), we can take a more active role of "hardening" ourselves. I don't think there is any right response of how this is done as we certainly have the right and reason to live the way we want to live our lives (with no real "wrong" answers). Just something that we should probably consider to some extent.

Really is a terrible tragedy. I have some buddies of mine stationed out there, and all accounted for. My family and extended family have family and friends scattered throughout that region-- so I'm hoping for the best there. Regardless of the nuclear issue, this will be further devastating for Japan who has been in there 'lost decade,' with yet another set back. Still, they are resilient folk, and should bounce back.